Hiring and training new sales associates can be expensive and time consuming. Unfortunately, some managers adopt a "sink or swim" attitude. They hire new associates, acquaint them with the company's policies, and let them determine their own selling strategies. Those who are successful will naturally rise to the top, and those who aren't successful will eventually learn the skills they need or move on to other jobs. 

One-and-done sales and product training, however, is an outdated mindset that leads to high turnover and can prevent talented sales associates from reaching their full potential.

Posted: 9/9/16

Why is the in-store customer experience so important? For starters, competition between brick-and-mortar retailers has never been more competitive. With amazing technology products available in more places than ever, customers can shop around for stores that make them feel welcome with seamless, engaging in-store experiences.

What's more, stores compete with online retailers from around the world. If a retail store isn't set up to offer an informative, engaging experience to everyone who walks through its doors, it's likely to lose customers to either another local competitor or an online E-tailer. 

Posted: 9/2/16

The right tech tools can help district managers deal with time constraints more effectively while ensuring that important information is collected and compiled for further review and analysis. 

Smartphones, laptops, teleconferencing applications, and other advanced computing solutions allows managers to stay in touch with store managers while ensuring that data is put to the best possible use during decision-making processes.

Posted: 8/17/16

The waning days of Summer signal the start of back-to-school shopping for many consumers. Back-to-school season kicks off the key sales period for most retailers, the end of Q3 through the end of Q4. 

Here’s some good news for PC retailers. One recently released survey¹ indicates back-to-school sales are expected to increase 2.6 percent this year. The survey indicates tech products will be hot items. 

Having the right lineup of products for these eager consumers can ensure greater customer satisfaction and increased sales during this peak shopping period. 

Posted: 8/11/16

Gartner* estimates that 6.4 billion connected objects will be in use in 2016, with 5.5 million new devices getting connected on a daily basis this year. This vast array of connected devices is changing how the world works.

The Internet of Things is changing the way retail stores operate as well. Connected devices provide sales reps and managers with more information than ever before about customers' behavior in and outside of the store.

Posted: 7/27/16

Managers in the PC sector of the retail industry have tough jobs. Long hours and even longer lists of responsibilities prove taxing for even the best. A search in LinkedIn’s job sectionfor PC retail general and district manager openings revealed responsibilities ranging from achieving sales goals to actively participating in the community.

What’s really interesting is the recurrence of certain action verbs listed in the job responsibilities. These verbs are consistently used across different levels of management from three major retailers. 

Posted: 7/22/16

Improving the effectiveness of your retail sales staff can boost profitability for your store. Success in the retail marketing field, however, does not happen overnight. It takes work, planning, and careful evaluation of current methods to develop the most efficient and productive sales team.

Store, general, and district managers realize that effective sales reps also provide great customer experiences. Here are six ways managers can have a real impact on the success and effectiveness of their sales staff.

Posted: 7/5/16

Retail management, and district managers in particular, clearly face numerous obstacles in their quest to improve store performance and anticipate competitive challenges.

While it's important to integrate store management tactics, truly effective multi-store managements often begins with a confident, knowledgeable sales team.

Posted: 7/1/16

Today's customers are more interested in technology than they were in the past. With this increased interest, businesses have been able to add unique tools to their strategy for building customer relationships. Consider the following to improve your customer relationship building strategy.

Incorporating available technology solutions that provide the retailer and the customer with the right information and services is crucial to maintaining a competitive edge. Equally important is ensuring that all staff members are educated and well-versed on the products being sold and that customers are being served effectively. 

Posted: 6/15/16

Are you a manager who wants to:

• Better educate your sales team
• Improve customer engagement and satisfaction
• Motivate and reward sales reps
• Increase revenue
• Support your local community

If you answered yes to any of these, then get your staff involved in this year’s Score with Intel® Core™ competition. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Posted: 6/3/16